Girls' basketball: MHAL down to the final four

The Mid-Hudson Athletic League girls' basketball final four will be held Tuesday at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.

Mira Wassef

The Mid-Hudson Athletic League girls' basketball final four will be held Tuesday at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.

Three of last year's semifinalists — Highland, Wallkill and John A. Coleman Catholic — will be joined by Spackenkill.

The winners will play for the title at 6 p.m. Friday at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge.

Here is a closer look at the semifinal matchups:

HIGHLAND

Record: 12-4, 12-2 HALL

Scouting report: Highland, the defending MHAL champion, is playing in its sixth consecutive MHAL final four and has advanced to the championship game the past five years. The Huskies play an inside-outside game, with sophomore center Monasia Bolduc and senior wing guard Jessica Dutka. Bolduc is a mobile 6-foot-1 post player who can score in transition as well as down on the block. Highland is young, goes eight or nine deep and can play multiple defenses because of its depth and athleticism. Its fullcourt pressure is key to creating turnovers when the Huskies go into scoring droughts.

The vitals: Dutka is averaging 11 points and six rebounds. Bolduc is averaging 13 points and 12 rebounds.

X-factor: Junior Jen Porter is a solid defender at the point and averages five to six rebounds. If Porter provides some offense, it would be a definite boost.

Coach's take: "It's going to be a hard-fought game," said Highland coach Jim Delmar. "If we play a good game, we can play with anybody. I don't think anyone on our team doubted us. We knew we had the components, so we'll see how much further it goes."

WALLKILL

Record: 14-2, 12-2 MHAL

Scouting report: Wallkill, which lost to Highland in last year's MHAL championship game, relies on its frontcourt of Sara Bender and Kaitlyn Ponesse on offense and defense. Bender is a 6-foot-1 center who can play in the post and on the perimeter. Ponesse complements Bender's game by scoring in the post and playing solid defense on the other team's post player. Guard Shelby Brochetti is a scorer who likes to drive to the basket and she plays good defense.

X-factor: Wallkill usually plays well when small forward Kelly Warren, who averages six points, plays good defense and rebounds.

Coach's take: "I think it's a good matchup," said Wallkill coach A.J. Higby. "Highland is scrappy and aggressive and they have tons of speed."

SPACKENKILL

Record: 14-2, 13-1 MHAL

Scouting report: The big three for Spackenkill, whose only MHAL loss this season was to Coleman Catholic, are forwards Cat Thompson and Yuni Sher and point guard Mackenzie Hoffman. Spackenkill plays a half-court game with Sher and Thompson. Sher, a sophomore, is more of a post presence but can also face the basket. Thompson, a junior, plays inside but is a good shooter who likes to drive and get to the free-throw line. Hoffman controls the game with her ball-handling.

Vitals: Thompson is the team's leading scorer at 14 points per game and averages down eight rebounds. Sher averages about 13 points and seven rebounds and Hoffman averages about nine points a game.

X-factor: Freshman guard Seana Tully comes off the bench and can provide shooting and defense.

Coach's take: "It should be an exciting game," said Spackenkill coach Don Neise. "Coleman is a great team. We're going to take in the atmosphere and play as hard as we can."

JOHN A. COLEMAN CATHOLIC

Record: 13-3, 11-3 MHAL

Scouting report: Coleman is making its third consecutive trip to the MHAL semifinals, but its first trip without point guard Taylor Leonard, who has missed the season with an ACL injury. After an adjustment earlier in the season, guards Lauren Carnevali and Miranda Bernholz have filled in nicely, alternating the ball-handling duties. Bernholz is the team's best 3-point shooter and has made 27 this season. Carnevali is a slasher who can score, pass, handle the ball and play defense. But the offense runs through 5-foot-10 forward Melody O'Connor, who is the team's leading scorer and rebounder. O'Connor can play three positions, as well as inside and outside. Coleman, which beat Spackenkill earlier in the season, is a good shooting team but sometimes relies on that too much. That's what makes O'Connor's presence in the post a key.

Vitals: Carnevali is averaging 12 points, six rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocks. O'Connor is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds and Bernholz is averaging 11 points and four assists.

X-factor: Key role players for Coleman include Shamari Brodhead, who averages six points and six rebounds off the bench, as well as Melanie Kuhn and Katie Shults, who both average around four points.

Coach's take: "I expect a good, tough game," said Coleman coach Guy Leonard. "We both have our key players, but I think the game is going to come down to the production off the bench."